Our Story: Then

There have been a lot of misconceptions about what our story is. So what better way to set the record straight than to present it on our family website!

It started back when we were 23 years old. Both of us worked for Olympic Health Management, now called Sterling. It was a job, but so much more came out of it than just paychecks and benefits. You see, Amy worked on the 3rd floor in the claims department. Ernest worked on the 1st floor in IT. For the first year Amy worked there, we never ran into each other. But one day Ernest was assigned the task of moving Amy's computer to another location to make way for a new hire. Up to the 3rd floor he went and met, for the first time, a girl named Amy. To work he went, unplugging the cables. Suddenly Amy asked a question. It shouldn't have meant much of anything, but it is the beginning of our story. She asked, "Are you related to a guy named Aaron Marshall?" The question was presented because one of her closest friends, Brandi, was engaged to Aaron. Aaron and Ernest were similar in some things: both were tall, handsome, walked alike, geeky in a cute way, and had similar vocals. All this was enough to make her boldly ask such a question. His reply: "No, not that I'm aware of."

It should have all ended there, but as the weeks wore on they kept bumping into each other in the halls, in the lunch room, and at various other times. Each encounter sprung conversations of work, family, and life. It wasn't long until work schedules were memorized, lunch breaks were conveniently spent in the same places, and breaks were spent chatting together.

Within 6 months it was clear that the friendship would need to span outside of work. One day, while walking away from work to our cars, Amy boldly asked if Ernest would like to hang out with her friends sometime. Phone numbers were exchanged and the friendship was forged to new heights. There were long phone conversations and meeting for coffee and church softball games. Even large group get togethers at Dennys where Ernest met the group of close friends that made up Amy's life. Ernest was a gem in even helping move Amy into her first home: a condo she had purchased.

One day a few friends were gathered at Amy's place having fun. The conversation turned to weekend plans. Amy stated "I'm going out with Brandi on Friday to have some fun." Brandi countered, "I forgot to tell you I have to do something that evening so I can't hang out."

When Friday came Ernest came by to pick-up Amy. She was looking forward to this outing because secretly, and only known to God and her best friend, she had developed a comfortable liking to Ernest. It was a big step for her. It had been 4 years since she had dated anyone. Her previous relationship was a young, highschool relationship that was not respectable and was full of heart break and regret. You see, Amy was a Christian and desired deeply to follow God and His precepts. She had allowed passion to influence that relationship instead of God and allowed compromises. Though she left that relationship with her virginity in tact, she had left pieces of herself behind. After that Amy left for a Christian college where she dedicated the next 4 years to God as her first and true love. When her friendship started developing with Ernest 4 years later and feelings started to develope, she sought council from her best girl friend and from a loving and forgiving God. Both seemed to confirm what she had suspected: that her heart was healed and ready to move on.

Ernest took Amy to a fun fastfood place called The Chuckwagon. They had a great time, and as their time there drew near an end, Amy layed out a question that she hoped would make her feelings on the subject transparent as everything else about her was. "Can I ask you a serious question?" she inquired. "Sure" her replied, followed by "uh oh." She smiled and asked, "how do you really feel about me?"

"Can I ask you the same question?" he shot back, a smile on his face. "Sure, but you have to answer first. Do you like me?" "Yes," was his reply. "Me too," she said back. They left then, driving the 1/2 hour back to Bellingham talking about what it all meant and what they desired in a relationship. By the time Ernest dropped Amy off, they had prayed for God's guidance in what laid ahead.